Hi everyone,
So in our worship service this morning, I did a lot of complaining. It was for the sermon illustration, mind you, not just for the sake of complaining. But if I were honest, even if I weren’t grappling for something to talk about in my sermon, I’d likely still be complaining, especially when it comes to matters of driving.
The thing is, I pride myself a little on my knowledge of cars and things of the road. I kind of scoff at others driving around me that seem like they don’t really know what they’re doing. I’m quick to point out certain rules and considerations when it comes to matters of traffic even safety.
And I guess this isn’t a bad thing necessarily, I mean we really should be familiar with the road safety rules, at very least to minimize traffic collisions. But I think the problem comes when things start to bother me a bit too much.
Because that is when the complaining comes out. That’s when harsh feelings toward strangers start to rear their ugly heads. That’s when I become less becoming of a pastor and frankly… a child of God.
Now, I’m not saying that God will love me less because I complain too dang much. But I am saying that these complaints and harsh feelings will start to weigh me down. So much that I will see less peace, less grace, less joy.
And that can’t be a good thing.
Here is a video of the readings for next week:
Now, Jesus isn’t talking about complaining necessarily, but he does talk about being a stumbling block. And in this particular story, the stumbling block is the disciples complaining about others, who aren’t them, doing stuff that they think only they are qualified to do.
And what does Jesus say about being a stumbling block?
That it’d be better to hang a millstone around your neck and be thrown into the sea. Have you seen a millstone before? Truthfully, I don’t think I have in real life, but I have seen pictures (see banner on this post), and those things are MASSIVE. And Jesus says it’s better to have one of those things hung around your neck? I don’t even think I could lift one of those.
But that is the kind of burden that we will carry when we harbour these bad feelings. That is the kind of weight we bear when we think that we are so much better than others. That is the gravity of complaining (pun very much intended).
Instead, we can see the value in others, even though they are different from us. We can remember that God’s grace is big enough to cover their faults… as well as ours. We can put aside our unmet (and perhaps unfair) expectations and complaints and be thankful that God is with us, God provides for us, and God loves us regardless of how much we can be a source of frustration for others.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by Ian Cylkowski on Unsplash